North Pocono at Scranton Prep

Recap

NORTH POCONO 24, SCRANTON PREP 21

North Pocono concluded an undefeated regular season, capping off their division championship run with a 24-21 thriller over Scranton Prep. Both teams will participate in the District 2 playoffs beginning next weekend.

Prep took the opening kickoff and looked as though they would get on the board first. The Cavaliers traveled 56 yards in 11 plays to the Trojans 17-yard line where they faced a 4^th and 3. Quarterback Will McPartland was stopped shy of the first down marker, turning the ball over to the Trojans.

North Pocono was also able to move the ball immediately against the Cavalier defense. The big play in the opening drive for the Trojans was a 29-yard catch and run over the middle from Chase Zimmerman to tight end Evan Wolff. The drive bogged down at the Prep 8-yard line. The Trojans lined up for a field goal, only to be charged with illegal procedure. Shane Youngblood then attempted a 30-yard boot which sailed wide. Prep, however, was called for an inadvertent running into the kicker penalty, giving Youngblood another chance, which he converted from 25-yards away, giving North Pocono a 3-0 lead with 11:00 left to play before halftime.

The Cavaliers quickly answered. Taking over at their own 20-yard line, Prep put together and 11 play scoring drive that covered 80 yards. The key play was a 25-yard pass from Will McPartland to his brother Braeden on 3^rd and 5 from the Prep 47. Facing a 4^th and 2 from the North Pocono 8, Will McPartland called his own number and blasted over the right side for the touchdown. Tyler Bianchi’s extra point was on the money and Prep had a 7-3 lead with 4:44 remaining in the second period.

The Trojans took the ensuing kickoff and immediately went to work. It took North Pocono only 5 plays to reach the end zone, the final 49 coming on a sprint by quarterback Chase Zimmerman down the right sideline. Youngblood added the extra point to give North Pocono a 10-7 advantage.

Prep was forced to punt on their next possession and North Pocono used their timeouts to take over with 0:53 left in the half at midfield. Zimmerman scrambled for 19 yards and then the Trojans saw 15 yards tacked on after a personal foul penalty against Prep. The drive came up empty, however, when Youngblood’s 31-yard field goal attempt came up short on the final play of the half.

After intermission, the Trojans turned to a bruising ground game to move the ball from their own 37. The drive included 13 plays, the biggest coming on Zimmerman’s 12 yard keeper to convert a 2^nd and 12 from the Prep 37. Zimmerman connected with Aidan McGuire who slipped uncovered out of the backfield for a 9-yard scoring toss. The conversion was good and North Pocono extended their lead to 17-7 with 5:00 left to play in the 3^rd period.

But the game was far from over and the Cavaliers would score the next 14 points to take the lead. Getting possession at their own 40-yard line after the kickoff, Prep got a huge 36-yard dart from McPartland to Mackey Lynett down the middle of the field, moving the ball deep into Trojan territory. Three plays later, it was McPartland again from 8 yards away to cut the Trojan lead to 17-14.

The Trojans’ Josiah Gray had North Pocono threatening once again following his 32-yard sprint down the left sideline. But on 4^th and 6, Zimmerman was downed by Prep’s Elijah Myers and the Trojans turned the ball over to the surging Cavaliers.

It took Prep 12 plays to cover 68 yards and reach the end zone. The key play on the drive was McPartland’s 17-yard dash, putting the ball inside the Trojans’ red zone. The senior quarterback notched his third scoring run of the evening a few plays later, carrying in from 4 yards away to put Prep in front 21-17 with 8:23 left to play in the football game.

Then it was time for Cole West to take over the football game and keep the Trojans’ unbeaten record intact. On the first play of the next North Pocono possession, West beat the Prep defensive backs over the top, hauling in a 43-yard fly pattern from Zimmerman, putting the ball at the Prep 25. But the Prep defense rose up behind the play of defensive end Sean McCormack who made two consecutive stops for no gain inside the Prep 15. On 4^th and 7 from the 11, West lined up in the Wildcat formation and sprinted right. West lofted the ball over the heads of the Prep defenders to a wide open Zimmerman in the right corner of the end zone. The extra point from Youngblood gave North Pocono a tenuous 24-21 lead with 4:09 remaining in the contest.

Prep had one more chance. After getting two first downs, the second on a 16-yard pass from McPartland to A.J. Croom, McPartland attempted to go for it all as he skied the ball toward a streaking Liam Haggerty in the middle of the field. But it was West, playing the role of center fielder, who stepped in front of Haggerty to end the Prep threat and the football game.

The undefeated and top-seeded Trojans will host Crestwood in one 4A semifinal next weekend. The Cavaliers, the 3-seed in the 3A tournament, will hit the road to face Wyoming Valley Conference power Wyoming Area in a rematch of last year’s district title game.

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST QUARTER

None

2ND QUARTER

NP – Shane Youngblood 25-yd field goal – North Pocono 3-0

SP – Will McPartland 8-yd run (Tyler Bianchi kick) – Scranton Prep 7-3

NP – Chase Zimmerman 49-yd run (Youngblood kick) – North Pocono 10-7

3RD QUARTER

NP – Aidan Maguire 9-yd pass from Zimmerman (Youngblood kick) – North Pocono 17-7

SP – W. McPartland 8-yd run (Bianchi kick) – North Pocono 17-14

4TH QUARTER

SP – W. McPartland 4-yd run (Bianchi kick) – Scranton Prep 21-17

NP – Zimmerman 11-yd pass from Cole West (Youngblood kick) – North Pocono 24-21